The field of the disclosure relates generally to bonding components, and, more particularly, to bonding metal and thermoplastic components using a film adhesive.
At least some known assemblies (e.g., in the aircraft industry) include parts that combine metal and thermoplastic components. To assemble such parts, thermoplastic components may be formed with one or more mechanical features that facilitate coupling the thermoplastic components to associated metal components. For example, a thermoplastic component may be formed on and around a metal component using injection molding to mechanically interlock with the metal component. However, under stress, the thermoplastic component may break or pop off of the metal component. Accordingly, at least some known assemblies include metal and thermoplastic components bonded to one another using an adhesive.
At least some existing bonding solutions employ secondary bonding. These solutions have a number of drawbacks, including additional surface preparation steps in order to achieve robust and cohesive failure modes, which adds cost and equipment. Secondary joining operations may also lead to longer flow times to manufacture parts. Moreover, secondary bonding operations may also limit integration possibilities for hybrid thermoplastic-metal parts.